GUARDING EDEN

Inspiring true stories about champions of climate change action - twelve ordinary people willing to do extraordinary things to help save the planet for future generations.

Guarding Eden tells the personal stories of twelve people who were so concerned about climate change that they altered their lives – sometimes adopting new careers, sometimes going public in a way unthinkable before. They come from all walks of life: there’s a nurse, an engineer, a musician, an insurance broker. These are not scientists but concerned citizens who have chosen to ‘step up’ to demonstrate true leadership, regardless of the personal risks involved. Surprisingly touching, Guarding Eden makes an issue as complex and controversial as climate change feel human and deeply real. The author particularly wanted to demystify the notion that activists are ‘extremists’/ ‘alarmists’/ ‘dangerous people’ as governments and the mainstream media tend to portray them in order to dismiss what they are saying. Climate issues are typically presented as highly complex and often contentious when in fact they are simple to understand and with the right will and government policies could be easily addressed. Without setting out to be, Guarding Eden ended up full of examples of how modern democratic systems are failing us in the most critical areas. The people and the circumstances in every chapter are different but the theme is the same: our systems of government have been captured by powerful industries with myopic and insatiable appetites for profits... Deborah Hart is the daughter of a career fossil-fuel engineer. She learned about the threat of climate change when she was 12 years old from her father, who now absolutely supports her in her life’s mission to slow or reverse climate change around the world. Deb is the prime mover behind ClimActs, a political theatre troupe that uses spectacle and humour to highlight the climate-change emergency.